Despite Signing Dozens of Technological Cooperation Agreements, Brazil Can Only Transform About 4% of Its Manufacturing Exports into High Technology, According to World Bank

Written by Valdemar Medeiros

Published on 15/09/2025 at 14:36

Updated on 16/09/2025 at 16:10

Foto: Apesar de assinar dezenas de acordos de cooperação tecnológica, o Brasil só consegue transformar cerca de 4% das exportações manufatureiras em alta tecnologia, segundo Banco Mundial

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Brazil Signs Dozens Of Technological Cooperation Agreements, But Only 4% Of Manufactured Exports Are High Technology, According To World Bank.

Brazil maintains technological cooperation agreements with dozens of countries and institutions, in a network that should serve as a lever for innovation and for integration into global value chains. These treaties involve strategic areas such as biotechnology, semiconductors, renewable energy, and artificial intelligence. However, the numbers revealed by the World Bank expose a concerning paradox: in 2023, only 4.17% of Brazilian manufactured exports could be classified as high technology.

The data shows a gap between rhetoric and practice and reinforces Brazil’s historical difficulty in transforming science into wealth.

The Modest Weight Of High Technology In Brazilian Exports

According to the World Bank series “High-technology exports (% of manufactured exports),” Brazil performs far below other emerging economies.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

The Contradiction Of International Agreements

The Itamaraty lists over 40 bilateral cooperation agreements in science, technology, and innovation signed by Brazil with countries in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

These treaties include researcher exchanges, joint research projects, and training programs. On paper, the country has the foundation to expand its technological insertion in global trade.

But in practice, the results are modest. A large portion of the agreements remains restricted to academic exchanges or isolated initiatives, without developments on an industrial scale. The lost link between science and market remains one of the greatest challenges for Brazil’s innovation system.

Why Can’t Brazil Take Off In High Technology Exports?

Experts point to at least four factors that explain Brazil’s difficulties:

Low Investment In R&D – Brazil invests around 1.2% of GDP in research and development, well below the OECD average (2.7%) and far from leaders such as South Korea (4.9%).

Lack Of University-Industry Integration – A large portion of scientific production remains in universities and does not reach the productive sector.

Outdated Industrial Structure – Early deindustrialization reduced the base of companies capable of competing globally in cutting-edge segments.

Hostile Regulatory And Tax Environment – Tax complexity and bureaucracy hinder the attraction of investments in innovation.

These bottlenecks help explain why Brazil continues to export quality scientific knowledge (in articles and research), but cannot convert this capital into high technology products in the global market.

Comparisons That Expose The Backwardness

While Brazil remains at 4%, countries like:

China: 27% of manufactured exports in 2023 were high technology.
South Korea: 30% in the same period.
Mexico: about 17%, driven by the automotive and electronics sectors.

The comparison shows that the problem is not a fate of emerging countries, but rather a reflection of strategic choices.

For example, Mexico took advantage of its proximity to the USA and the NAFTA/USMCA agreements to insert itself into global high technology chains. Brazil, on the other hand, maintained a focus on commodities.

Economic Consequences

The low participation of high technology in exports has direct effects:

External Vulnerability – The country depends on the international prices of soy, minerals, and oil to balance its external accounts.
Low Competitiveness – Products with little sophistication face fierce competition in the global market with smaller margins.
Qualified Unemployment – The lack of cutting-edge industries limits the absorption of highly qualified labor.
Loss Of Protagonism – In a world driven by digital and energy transition, Brazil risks consolidating as merely a supplier of basic inputs.

Paths To Change The Scenario

For experts, reversing this situation requires a consistent innovation policy. Among the proposed measures are:

Increase Investments In R&D – getting closer to the average of developed countries.
Strengthen University-Industry Integration – with incentives to transform research into products.
Stimulus For The Semiconductor, Biotechnology, And Clean Energy Industry – strategic sectors for the 21st century.
Insertion In Global Value Chains – seeking trade agreements that facilitate Brazil’s participation in technological segments.

Without these changes, the country will remain trapped in the role of commodity exporter, wasting the scientific potential accumulated over decades.

Brazil has human capital, scientific knowledge, and natural resources to be a powerhouse in innovation. But reality shows that, while other emerging economies advance in high technology, the country maintains an export agenda concentrated on basic products.

A country that signs dozens of technological cooperation agreements, but only converts 4% of manufactured exports into high technology, according to the World Bank.

Despite Signing Dozens of Technological Cooperation Agreements, Brazil Can Only Transform About 4% of Its Manufacturing Exports into High Technology, According to World Bank

Brazil Signs Dozens Of Technological Cooperation Agreements, But Only 4% Of Manufactured Exports Are High Technology, According To World Bank.

The Modest Weight Of High Technology In Brazilian Exports

The Contradiction Of International Agreements

Why Can’t Brazil Take Off In High Technology Exports?

Comparisons That Expose The Backwardness

Economic Consequences

Paths To Change The Scenario

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Despite Signing Dozens of Technological Cooperation Agreements, Brazil Can Only Transform About 4% of Its Manufacturing Exports into High Technology, According to World Bank

Brazil Signs Dozens Of Technological Cooperation Agreements, But Only 4% Of Manufactured Exports Are High Technology, According To World Bank.

The Modest Weight Of High Technology In Brazilian Exports

The Contradiction Of International Agreements

Why Can’t Brazil Take Off In High Technology Exports?

Comparisons That Expose The Backwardness

Economic Consequences

Paths To Change The Scenario

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Forget petroleum-based asphalt: a Scottish company transforms 684,000 plastic bottles into one kilometer of road that is 60% more resistant and up to 10 times more durable, and the technology has already started replacing traditional asphalt in more than 30 countries.

Austrian engineers have developed an inflatable concrete technology that transforms flat slabs into domes using only air pressure, eliminating scaffolding and temporary forms, and potentially changing the way bridges, tunnels, and curved roofs are constructed worldwide.

Australia prepares to dredge 96.5 million m³ in Moreton Bay to deepen, widen, and realign channels of the Port of Brisbane, in a project of up to 25 years designed to accommodate larger ships and enhance maritime safety and regional port efficiency.

A robot named Walter does the work of five bricklayers per hour and can save the construction industry, where the average age of professionals is 46 years and almost no one wants to learn the trade anymore, in the United Kingdom.

Cristiano Ronaldo builds a billion-dollar mansion in Portugal with 54,000 square feet, a 3-acre plot facing the Atlantic, private spa, indoor and outdoor pools, and an estimated value of an impressive R$ 385 million.

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